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Monday, September 29, 2014

Please Welcome Laura Caldwell: Lawyer/Author/Life-Saver and Dog Lover

Laura Caldwell is a
lawyer-turned-author-turned-life-saver. She is a former civil trial lawyer, now
a professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She is also director of
Life After Innocence, published author of 14 novels and one nonfiction book (to
date), and speaker, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend.

Caldwell’s
fictional work began as chick-lit and soon turned into the mystery/thriller
genre. Her first book,Burning
the Map, was voted as one of the year’s best books by BarnesandNoble.com in
2002. The Chicago Tribune calledA
Clean Slate“a page turner.”The Year of Living FamouslyandThe
Night I Got Luckyprompted
Booklist to declare, “Caldwell is one of the most talented and inventive ...
writers around.” In 2009, Caldwell released a trilogy on character Izzy McNeil,
a Chicago lawyer who finds her way into a myriad of situations in which she
must use her wit and legal skill.

While
researching her sixth novel, Caldwell was led to the criminal case of a young
man sitting in a Cook County holding cell without a trial. After hearing about
his case, Caldwell joined a renowned criminal defense attorney to defend him,
ultimately proving his innocence and inspiring her first nonfiction book,Long Way Home: A Young Man Lost in
the System and the Two Women Who Found Him.

THE DOG PARK is about a couple who
shares joint custody of their dog who becomes suddenly famous when a video of
him goes viral.

What inspired you to write THE DOG PARK?

I’d been writing mysteries and
thrillers for a while, including six books featuring my series character, Izzy
McNeil. I had one book left in my contract and started plotting the seventh. At
the time, I had just gotten my puppy, Shafer, and was head over heels. My publishers
pointed out that my social media posts and photos had gone from books and
mysteries to dogs and dogs and dogs. And they had an idea — why not write a
novel involving a dog? A great beach book, something fast-moving and a little
sexy. And maybe, just maybe, a happy ending. I was in.

In THE DOG PARK, we meet Baxter, a loving
and lovable goldendoodle. Is there a real-life Baxter? Who were the doggie
models for Baxter?

My dog, Shafer, was a typical
goldendoodle puppy — adorable and friendly. And she was a big walker, so we
walked all over the city, good weather or bad. (I live in Chicago and so
Shafer, like the rest of us, had to wear boots and eight layers and complain as
little as possible.) Shafer met people everywhere. And after she started
spending a few days a week with a well-known dog walker, she started to know
people on the street I’d never met. I wondered what it would be like if Shafer
herself became really well-known. Say from a video or something. Baxter from
THE DOG PARK was formed.

How was writing THE DOG PARK, a contemporary romance, different from your previous mystery and thriller work?

I couldn't help but have long-buried secrets revealed. You never get the mystery writer out of your blood.

What was your favorite scene in THE DOG PARK?

I love the first scene – the post-divorce banter, the love of the dog.

Jessica Champlin seems fond of adorning
Baxter in flashy accessories. How does your furry friend feel about such snazzy
duds?

Shafer seems to feel good about
sparkly collars but put her in a coat and she gives me about 20 minutes.

What are you doing to reach out to
readers and dog enthusiasts?

Every book
signing has been dog-friendly and encouraging. We had them at pet stores and
boutiques that allow dogs. We gave part of the proceeds to rescues and I did a
promotion at a PAWS 5K run.

If you could compare your dog to any
celebrity, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Shafer is her
own celebrity! She knows she should update her Twitter page more often. But she
makes people happy wherever she goes. She loves to work a crowd at the beach.

Why did you choose to make a dog
the central character of the novel?

We wanted THE DOG PARK to be
entertaining and fun, but my publisher really wanted a book with strong
characters and strong relationships. Shortly into the book, I realized that
Baxter, the dog whom I’d seen as more of a sub character (albeit one who drives
much of the action), was definitely much more. Just like a lot of our pets,
Baxter is a creature with his own personality. His own preferences and tastes
and quirks.

What do you read for pleasure?

Right now I'm
reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.
I started it a few times and put it down. Now that I’m into it, I look forward
to reading it all day. That’s one of my favorite feelings in the world. I’m
also looking forward to reading The
Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin.

What do you hope readers will take
away from the book?

Overlaying all of the book is the
profound, and yet often profoundly different, relationship that each different
person has with their dog. There’s also the fact that social media has changed
everything. It’s thrilling, but a little jarring and scary, to think that a
person can be unknown at breakfast and trending on the news that night.

What was most difficult about
writing THE DOG PARK?

Reliving when
Shafer was hit by a car. But it was cathartic.

What’s next for you? Are you
working on anything new?

Anatomy of Innocence, an anthology
pairing thriller writers with exonerees to tell the story of how wrongful
convictions happen.

Thanks for stopping by The Blood-Red Pencil, Laura, and good luck with your new release!

Please leave a comment to welcome Laura Caldwell to The Blood-Red Pencil.

10 comments
:

Thanks for this blog post and introducing Laura Caldwell to me. I'm more a cat person than dog (I know, I know) but I love the city of Chicago and legal thrillers so I still think Laura and I can bond on the page - especially as she lives what she is writig about. Her own determination to right miscarriages of justice must inform her work as a novelist.

I will definitely add these mysteries to my TBR pile. Cute kittens and puppies are marketing magic. You can set up a table at cat or dog shows, enjoy the puppies and kitties (if you can resist taking them all home), and sell books to animal lovers as part of your marketing scheme.

I totally understand the impact a new pet can have on our social media and blog posts (as my Katie Cat can tell you). This book sounds like a wonderful read. Thanks to BRP for having Laura here to add one more book to my TBR list.

Sorry I am late welcoming you to the blog, Laura. Yesterday was one of those days. You know what I mean. When all plans go awry and you are hoping it is 5 o'clock somewhere. LOLAnyway, it was a pleasure to meet you. Morgan, thanks for the introduction to an interesting lady and some terrific books.